[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2610 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2610

To establish a Senior Scams Prevention Advisory Council to collect and 
   disseminate model educational materials useful in identifying and 
                 preventing scams that affect seniors.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 9, 2019

   Ms. Blunt Rochester (for herself and Mr. Walberg) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish a Senior Scams Prevention Advisory Council to collect and 
   disseminate model educational materials useful in identifying and 
                 preventing scams that affect seniors.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Stop Senior Scams Act''.

SEC. 2. SENIOR SCAMS PREVENTION ADVISORY COUNCIL.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a Senior Scams Prevention 
Advisory Council (referred to in this Act as the ``Advisory Council'').
    (b) Members.--The Advisory Council shall be composed of the 
following individuals or their designees:
            (1) The Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission.
            (2) The Secretary of the Treasury.
            (3) The Attorney General.
            (4) The Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial 
        Protection.
            (5) Not more than 2 representatives from each of the 
        following sectors, including trade associations, to be selected 
        by the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission:
                    (A) Retail.
                    (B) Gift card.
                    (C) Telecommunications.
                    (D) Wire-transfer services.
                    (E) Senior peer advocates.
                    (F) Consumer advocacy organization with efforts 
                focused on preventing seniors from becoming the victims 
                of scams.
                    (G) Financial services, including institutions who 
                engage in digital currency.
                    (H) Prepaid cards.
            (6) A member of the Board of Governors of the Federal 
        Reserve System.
            (7) A prudential regulator, as defined in section 1002 of 
        the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 (12 U.S.C. 5481).
            (8) The Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement 
        Network.
            (9) Any other Federal, State, or local agency, industry 
        representative, consumer advocate, or entity, as determined by 
        the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission.
    (c) Duties.--
            (1) In general.--The Advisory Council shall, while 
        considering public comment--
                    (A) collect information on the existence, use, and 
                success of model educational materials and programs for 
                retailers, financial services providers, and wire-
                transfer companies, that--
                            (i) may be used as a guide to educate 
                        employees on how to identify and prevent scams 
                        that affect seniors; and
                            (ii) include--
                                    (I) useful information for 
                                retailers, financial services 
                                providers, and wire transfer companies 
                                for the purpose described in clause 
                                (i);
                                    (II) training for employees on ways 
                                to identify and prevent such scams;
                                    (III) the best methods for keeping 
                                employees up to date on the latest 
                                scams;
                                    (IV) the most effective signage and 
                                best placement for signage in retail 
                                locations to warn seniors about 
                                scammers' use of gift cards, prepaid 
                                cards, and wire transfer services;
                                    (V) suggestions on effective 
                                collaborative community education 
                                campaigns;
                                    (VI) available technology to assist 
                                in identifying possible scams at the 
                                point of sale; and
                                    (VII) other information that would 
                                be helpful to retailers, wire transfer 
                                companies, financial institutions, and 
                                their employees as they work to prevent 
                                fraud affecting seniors; and
                    (B) based on the information collected under 
                subparagraph (A)--
                            (i) identify inadequacies, omissions, or 
                        deficiencies in such educational materials and 
                        programs for the categories listed in 
                        subparagraph (A) and their execution in 
                        reaching employees to protect seniors from 
                        scams; and
                            (ii) create model materials that fill those 
                        inadequacies, omissions, or deficiencies.
            (2) Encouraged use.--The Chairman of the Federal Trade 
        Commission shall, after the public comment period is complete--
                    (A) make the model educational materials and 
                programs and information about execution of the 
                programs described in paragraph (1) publicly available; 
                and
                    (B) encourage the use and distribution of the 
                materials created under this subsection to prevent 
                scams affecting seniors by governmental agencies and 
                the private sector.
    (d) Reports.--Section 101(c)(2) of the Elder Abuse Prevention and 
Prosecution Act (34 U.S.C. 21711(c)(2)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(E) for the Federal Trade Commission, include 
                information on--
                            ``(i) the Senior Scams Prevention Advisory 
                        Council's model educational materials and 
                        program, any recommendations of such Advisory 
                        Council, and any views or considerations made 
                        by members of the Advisory Council or by public 
                        comment that were not included in the Advisory 
                        Council's model materials or considered an 
                        official recommendation by the Advisory 
                        Council;
                            ``(ii) the Senior Scams Prevention Advisory 
                        Council's findings about senior scams 
                        (including information about the ways scams 
                        affect seniors, including the negative effects 
                        on their well-being); and
                            ``(iii) any recommendations on ways 
                        stakeholders can continue to work together to 
                        reduce scams affecting seniors.''.
    (e) Termination.--This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, 
cease to be in effect on the date that is 5 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act.
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